Mikel Kendrick, acting sophomore, was selected as a coach for the Interfaith Youth Core.
Kendrick said IFYC is a national non-profit organization that holds a conference in Chicago every August.
“A bunch of students from different college campuses get together for a three-day weekend filled with workshops and open discussions about interfaith relationships,” Kendrick said. “We brainstorm how to bring interfaith ideals to our college campuses and how to become an interfaith leader ourselves.”
As a coach, Kendrick said he will help lead groups and be an assistant to an educator.
“At the conference, you get broken into groups and meet with interfaith educators who either hold a leadership position in their religion or are a professor from a college campus. The educators get partnered with a coach,” Kendrick said.
Though this is Kendrick’s first time serving as a coach, he said he attended the conference for the first time last August.
“It was amazing. I didn’t know what interfaith was at all before the conference. It was my first time being in a room with over 300 people from across the world. You learn so much, and your eyes are so open to new world views,” Kendrick said. “I learned about religions I didn’t even know existed. You make meaningful lifetime friendships. I still talk to some of the people I went to IFYC with last year. The atmosphere of an interfaith room is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.”
Kendrick said as a coach, he receives $500 to fund interfaith work on campus.
“This money usually goes towards events like Better Together Week and Love Not Hate Day,” Kendrick said.
Elizabeth Horton-Ware, director of religious life, said Kendrick will serve as president next year for Better Together, OCU’s interfaith student organization.
“He has shown great leadership in Better Together and on campus in a variety of ways,” Horton-Ware said. “He has already hit the ground running. He has a lot of great ideas.”
Elizabeth Gwartney, biomedical science sophomore, is a member of the Better Together leadership team with Kendrick.
“Mikel really has a passion for interfaith work and the acceptance of all people,” Gwartney said. “I think he’s the perfect person to be representing our school.”
Gwartney said Better Together week is OCU’s interfaith awareness week.
“We seek to encourage interfaith awareness and understanding on our campus and just generally make OCU a place that is welcoming of people of all faith backgrounds,” Gwartney said.
Gwartney also said Better Together week is a national initiative though IFYC.
“We have events throughout the week, like tabling Q&A sessions,” Gwartney said. “We also host a banquet that celebrates the accomplishments of the interfaith community in OKC.”
While Better Together is a national initiative, Gwartey said Love Not Hate Day is an OCU-specific event that began in 2008.
“The first time OCU performed ‘The Laramie Project,’ the Westboro Baptist Church had a protest,” Gwartney said. “We were aware of it and chose to respond with love instead of hate. ‘The Laramie Project’ was performed again this year, so we moved up Love Not Hate Day to coincide with it. We felt it was really important to celebrate where that came from.”
Kendrick said he plans to increase Better Together’s presence on campus next year.
“I have a bunch more plans to bring to campus next year to make interfaith really known on campus,” Kendrick said. “The main goal next year is to get students and organizations involved, especially by collaborating with other religious organizations.”
Kendrick said he is excited to attend the IFYC and implement ideas from the conference on campus.
“The whole point of interfaith work is to bring together people from different backgrounds to work for the common good, which is one of my biggest values in life,” Kendrick said. “I want to give to others and make the world a better place, and I believe interfaith is a perfect way to do that. It makes me more open-minded, more inclusive, makes me love more and be more compassionate. It makes me see people for who they really are and treat them how I would want to be treated.”
Horton-Ware said Religious Life usually sponsors three students involved in Better Together to attend IFYC, but they will not this year due to finances and not being on campus. She also said Kendrick will still attend the conference on behalf of the university because coaches are sponsored by IFYC.
“We hope to send students again next year,” Horton-Ware said. “IFYC sponsors between five to 15 coaches to go to the program every year as well, so getting involved in interfaith work on our campus can lead to National Leadership.”
To get involved in Better Together, students can contact Kendrick at mlkendrick@my.okcu.edu or Horton-Ware at erhortonware@okcu.edu.
Leave a Reply